Envelop-fastener.



PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908. E. E. RUNYON. BNVELOP FASTENER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.9,1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 MW: W

Wilumau No. 889,688. PATENTED JUNEZ, 1908. E. E. RUNYON.

ENVELOP FASTENER.

I APPLIOATION 11131) Mme, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 um nko'c al WM spring tongues, the inner ends of which are State of California, have invented certain" Fasteners, and I do hereby declare the 1101 first.

Ull)

earner easiest EDWIN natures, or sienna, oAL rosMA.

ENVELOIP-FAETENER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enwm EQRUNYON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles,

new and useful Improvements in Envelopl. lowing to be a fullfclear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to envelop fasteners, and it aims to provide a device of that class which when attached to an cnvei p and locked will prevent the letter from b reopened without being torn or partially stroyed to such an extent as to render the fact that it has been opened after he been closed or sealed.

To this end, the device comprises an o uter member which is clenched to the ilapof an envelop and carries a-stud whose head adapted to be forced through an opening in the opposite member which is secured to the inner face of theenvelop back, and is out diametrically to form a series of triangular slightly blunted or squared 'to form such 0 ening. It will therefor be obvious that W on the two members of the fastener are disengaged, the pressure of the tongues against the back of the envelop will tear the latter and thus render the envelop unfit for rescaling.

The invention will be readily understood from'the following detailed description, and its preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by corresponding reference numerals in the several views. Qf the said' drawings-Figure 1 is a plan view of an envelop, showing the fastening devicesecured thereto, the flap of the envelop being open. Fig. 2 is a section through the fastening and envelop, with the flap closed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the inner fastening member. Fig. e is an axial section therethrough. Fig. is atop plan L) view of the same, showing the original 'position of the spring tongues. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the outer fastening member.

As shown in thedrawings, "the fastening device comprises two members, an outer member and an inner memberf The outer member includes a metallic disk or plate 7 provided with a central stud having a stem Specification of letters Patent.

Patented June 2,1908.

8 and a plane-convex head 9. The plate is further provided with a pair of s urs 10, which are wardly.

Theinner member of the fastener coml, tongues of the plate ll-are provided with spurs 17, similar to-those formed-on the plate 2 but best upwardlyinsteari of dlownwardly. The plate ii is further providegi' with a depending peripheral flange omirirll of awidth t ual to the height ofthe stud of the member.

Essence numeral 19 designates gen- ."t'elep, to which the fastening deled, and comprising front pornap and a back 22. upper r the fastener is attached to the is-toning member is attached to the ce of the back of the envelop with spurs 17 passed therethrougn and simiclenched, there being'preferably an opening formed in theenvelop back in alinemeat with the opening 15in said plate. The envelop is then sealed by pressing upon the outer plate until the stud carried thereby is forced through the opening in the inner plate and the spring-tongues;carried by the latter engage-at their free ends the plane or inner face of the stud-head,' thus locking the two members together. l

The opening 15, which is formed 'by the flattened or blunted ends of the spring: tongues is somewhat smaller in diameter than the diameter of the stud, so that the tongues will be bent inwardly during'the passage of the stud therethrough, and will be tensioned thereby Owing to the fact,-

moreover, that the forward portion ofeach tongue is normally bent inwardly, it will be obvious that when the plates are disengaged punched therefrom and ent ina similar plate ii, which is slotted- .bout an angle of 30 degrees to the plane of piste, shown in Fig. 4. Two opposing the stud will cause the tongues to buckle upon themselves and against the inner face of the envelop back, thus tearing the latter and rendering the envelop impossible of rescaling. The diametrical slots 12 in the inner member may, moreover, extend to within a very slight distance of the periphery thereof, so that when the two plates are disengaged the pressure of the stud upon the tongues will frequently cause an extension of said slots, thus destroying the plate itself.

The formation of the rim or flange 18 on the inner member gives the latter sufficient strength to withstand the slight pressure necessary in locking the plates together, an at the same time permits the stud and tongues to interlock without coming into contact with any obstruction within the envelop.

Both plates are formed from exceedingly thin metal.

Although the device has been shown and described as a fastener for envelops, it may obviously be used in larger sizes in connection with parcels and packages I am aware that a fastening device comprising a pair of metal plates, one of which carries a stud and the other of which is provided with an opening through which said stud is forced, is broadly old and I therefore do not claim any such construction, bnt base my invention upon an inner plate diametrically slotted to form sector-shaped springtongues, which are forced outwardly against the substance of the envelop back by the action of the stud carried by the outer plate, so that said tongues will destroy to some extent the envelop back and will, moreover, buckle u on themselves so as to render the inner p ate or member unfit .for further use.

What is claimed, is-

1. The combination with an envelop, of a fastener therefor comprising a metallic outer plate adapted to be attached to the envelop I and provided with a headed stud, and a metallic inner plate adapted to be attached to the inner face of the back of the envelop and t'ongues having their inner ends blunted to form a central opening through which said stud 18 adapted to be forced, to lock said plates together, said tongues being disposed. at an angle to the inner late, converging toward the axis of the stur and bearing against the inner'face of the stud head when the plates are in position, whereby said tongues will be forced to buckle outwardly against the envelop back, to tear the same when said plates are disengaged.

2. The combination with an envelop, of a fastener therefor comprising a metallic outer plate adapted to be attached to the flap of the envelop and provided with a headed stud, and a metallic inner plate adapted to be at tached to the inner face of the back of the spring tongues having their inner ends blunted to form a central opening through which said stud is adapted to be forced, to lock said plates together, said tongues bearing against the inner face of the stud head when the plates are in position, whereby said tongues will be forced .to buckle outwardly against the envelop back, to tear the same when said ripheral flange formed upon said inner plate, said -fiange having a width approximately equal to the length of said stud, to permit the stud and tongues to interlock without coming into contact with an obstruction within the envelop.

In testimony whereof, l affix my signatu l e, in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN E. RUNYON.

l/Vitnesses: v

DAVID T. JONES, W. ,C. STRYKER.

provided with a series of sect-oral spring plates are disengaged, and a depending peenvelop and provided with a series of sectoral 

